Moscow Must Avoid Shadow War With Ankara

Source: MOSCOWTIMES

Moscow is sanctioning Turkish goods and holidays, something that will have a distinct impact on an economy which earns $6.5 billion a year from Russian tourists, but is this enough to assuage President Vladimir Putin's evident fury at the shooting down of one of his bombers? And if it is not, what else can he do short of direct — and hopefully unthinkable — military action against a NATO member with an army not that much smaller that Russia's? The temptation may be, to strike from the shadows.
Turkey and Russia have, after all, a long and bloody history not just of outright war, but of border, indirect, covert and political struggles. From proxy wars in the Caucasus khanates and Ukraine in the 17th century, through to political tussles over Poland in the 18th, and cultural-religious ones in the Balkans which lasted through into the 20th, these are two countries with a long tradition of underhand conflict.
Today, Moscow's capacities to blend political, intelligence, information and even criminal assets into multi-vectored campaigns is greater than ever. For a president eager to extract a pound of flesh, this may seem a tempting option.

US police probe motive of California mass shooting

Source: ALJAZEERA

US authorities are investigating the motive of a shooting spree that left 14 people dead and another 17 wounded at a social services centre hosting a Christmas party in Southern California.
A man and a woman suspected of taking part in Wednesday's attack in San Bernardino died in a shootout with police hours later, authorities said.
The slain suspects were identified by police as Syed Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 27, described as a possibly married or engaged.
Jarrod Burguan, San Bernardino police chief, said US-born Farook had attended a holiday banquet for employees of the local public health department, and later returned to open fire on the celebration.
The attackers were dressed in military-style gear and carried assault weapons as they burst into the auditorium where the shooting took place, at the campus of a social services agency.
In critical condition
Beyond the 14 dead, the shooting left at least 17 people wounded, including 10 in critical condition.
No details have yet been released on the victims' identities.

BREAKING: Court to rule on Pistorius verdict

A South African court is to rule on whether the athlete Oscar Pistorius' manslaughter verdict will remain.

Prosecutors appealed against the verdict and hoped to achieve a murder conviction.
Pistorius killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in February 2013 after shooting her through a locked door.
He is currently under house arrest after spending a year of his five year sentence in jail for a crime of culpable homicide, or manslaughter.
It had earlier been incorrectly reported that the court had already ruled the manslaughter verdict

Boko Haram crisis: Cameroon troops 'free 900 hostages'

Source: BBC

Troops have freed 900 hostages captured by the Nigerian Islamist militant group Boko Haram, Cameroon's defence minister has announced.

Joseph Beti Assomo said his forces had also killed around 100 Boko Haram members at the end of November.
There has been no independent confirmation of the operation in Cameroon's remote Far North region.
It is not clear exactly where the clashes took place, or where Boko Haram's captives had been held.
The statement on public radio on Wednesday said a large stock of arms and munitions had been seized, as well as black-and-white Islamic State flags.
It did not give any details on the identities of the freed hostages.
So it is not known whether those freed include any of the 219 schoolgirls taken from their dormitories in Chibok, Nigeria last year.
At least 17,000 people have been killed and 2,000 abducted since Boko Haram launched its insurgency in 2009, according to Amnesty International.

Couple identified as suspects in California mass shooting

Source: REUTERS

A man and woman armed with assault-style rifles opened fire on the holiday party of his co-workers in Southern California, killing 14 people and wounding 17 others, and then were slain hours later in a shootout with police after a manhunt, authorities said.
The two suspects were identified as Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 27, who San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan said were in a relationship, possibly married or engaged. He said they were believed to be the only shooters involved in the attack.
While the motive remained unclear, Burguan said, "We have not ruled out terrorism." Farook was U.S. born, while Malik's nationality was still undetermined.
According to the police chief, Farook was a county public health employee who attended the party, held in a conference building on the campus of the Inland Regional Center - a social services agency - and at some point stormed out, then returned with Malik to open fire on the celebration. The couple were dressed in assault-style clothing and also placed several bombs at various locations, which police detonated.
The shooting rampage marked the deadliest U.S. gun violence since the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012, in which 27 people, including the gunman, were killed.

China's Xi Jinping in Zimbabwe for talks with Mugabe

Source: BBC

China's President Xi Jinping has arrived in Zimbabwe, making him the most prominent global leader in many years to visit the country.

The two nations had a "deep and firm" friendship, Mr Xi said in an article in Zimbabwe's state-run Herald newspaper.
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has strongly pursued a "Look East" policy since the West isolated him over his controversial land reform programme.
China is major investor in Zimbabwe, helping to keep its economy afloat.

The BBC's Brian Hungwe in the capital, Harare, says President Mugabe was at the airport to welcome the Chinese leader, who received a 21-gun salute before inspecting a guard of honour.
Chinese nationals, waving both Zimbabwean and Chinese flags, were also there to welcome Mr Xi.
The two governments are expected to sign agreements to boost Zimbabwe's agriculture, mining and manufacturing sectors.

As OPEC President, Kachikwu Targets Removal of 1.5mbpd Excess Crude from Market

Source: THISDAYLIVE

• Seeks privatisation of NNPC’s pipelines

Kogi: APC Faces Major Dilemma over Absence of Running Mate

• Misses deadline for Faleke’s substitution • Faleke sues INEC, court to decide on Wada's, other cases Friday

Onyebuchi Ezigbo and Senator Iroegbu in Abuja   

The All Progressives Congress (APC) is presently faced with yet another constitutional dilemma over the absence of a deputy governorship candidate who will replace Mr. James Faleke to contest with its substitute governorship candidate, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, in the Kogi governorship supplementary election on Saturday.


Faleke was chosen to run with Bello by the party on Monday but rejected the position, insisting that he was the governor-elect following the collation of results in the Kogi poll and death of the party’s candidate, Alhaji Abubakar Audu.


He formally wrote the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Monday rejecting the post of running mate, effectively jeopardising APC’s candidacy in the Kogi election.


The bigger dilemma is that the party did not immediately substitute Faleke for the supplementary poll before yesterday’s deadline given by INEC for the substitution of the late Audu, a requirement clearly spelt out in the constitution.
Section 187(1) of the constitution states: “In any election to which the foregoing provisions of this part of this Chapter, a candidate for the office of Governor of a State shall not be deemed to have been validly nominated for such office unless he nominates another candidate as his associate for his running for the office of Governor, who is to occupy the office of Deputy Governor; and that candidate shall be deemed to have been duly elected to the office of Deputy Governor if the candidate who nominated him is duly elected as Governor in accordance with the said provisions.